1) The Striders are family; conflict amongst them is strictly prohibited.

Most Ocean Striders aren't related by blood; instead, talented sailors and merchants join this prestigious guild for life. However, strange things can happen at sea. Take, for example, the case of the Coast Skipper – a ship full of new recruits that took a short ranged transport mission. Intentionally, the ship's captain only took young men so he could keep a more "casual" atmosphere (by casual, I mean utterly disgraceful – this captain was notorious for allowing his crew to drink and carouse both in port and horrifyingly, on deck). During a particularly long journey, a beautiful genie appeared to the men while carousing from the Ethereal Plane. Needless to say, this ill-disciplined crew took… advantage of the situation and before she left, she "gifted" them with a child. Much to the crew's chagrin, this genie never returned for her offspring so this child was raised by a bewildered handful of men who all could have been her father.

This unprecedented circumstance caused a stir amongst the captains of the guild; they could not get rid of the child – she was technically now part of the Ocean Strider family and once you are a part of the family, your only escape is death. However, the captains all agreed that it would be inappropriate for a young girl to stay on a ship known for raucousness. Not to mention, her unusual appearance often resulted in uncomfortable questions being asked at port. Therefore, at age 5, the girl was transferred to a trans-oceanic vessel full of the best seamen the Ocean Striders had to offer. This ship was the Sea Dragon's Wings – named after Xerbo, the Strider's patron god of sea commerce.

2. Once an oath of transport is pledged, the Oath will be fulfilled, no matter the cost.

Trans-oceanic vessels like the Sea Dragon's Wings were no stranger to high risk jobs that yielded high payout. Because this ship was the pride of the Ocean Striders, the crew was known to expertly navigate through danger without losing a copper's worth of goods. As the young girl grew up, the Sea Dragon's Wings enjoyed even greater success by taking advantage of her inherent connection to the water. She could read the ocean currents and accurately predict storms; she could even notice small changes in the waves that indicated the earlier passage of boats. The crew aboard the Sea Dragon's Wings brought enormous reputation gains to the Ocean Striders as they hauled cargo to ever more perilous locations.

Less esteemed ships would sail through storms or contested waters in order to get their cargo to its recipient. Oaths are sacred to the Ocean Striders; the Striders' dependability, after all, is what makes them the transport of choice for many a noble.

3. Timeliness is essential.

In order to keep a ship running effectively, every member of the crew must perform their assigned duty flawlessly on time, every time. Ocean Striders focus their life around the ever-important cargo and a single mishap could result in failing a contract and an enormous loss of profit. While on a run, a strict curfew is in place and any crew member wishing to stay up past curfew must use the stars as their only light source to respect their shipmates.

Sailors upon the Sea Dragon's Wings begrudgingly allowed their young ward to disrupt their schedules. When she was a child, they found it endearing but as she aged, they had less patience for her demands. Her genie ancestry granted her many gifts that were useful to the sailors, but many sailors did not appreciate the brazenness that accompanied her powerful bloodline. It took quite a few disciplinary encounters to tame her wanderlust but the rigid structure imposed upon her yielded a highly successful navigator.

4. The politics of land do not belong on the sea. Each ship is its own entity.

The Ocean Striders are a unique guild in that they do not pledge loyalty to any kingdom or nation. Rather, the guild is maintained by a coalition of captains from each ship. The captains communicate regularly via magical means and it is not unusual to transfer seamen to other ships if they do not fit in with other members of the ship. There is a hierarchy on each ship, but between ships only captains hold rank. On land, the only expectation is to maintain the Ocean Striders' good public image, but captains turn a blind eye to their crew's harmless infractions of local law. On the ship, however, sailors must fall in line and obey orders. Every person of rank, especially captains, are chosen by the crew and there are prerequisites for each role that ensure every leader is competent and worthy of their title.

So, it is a rarity that a crewman loses faith in their captain. Especially one aboard the Sea Dragon's Wings. The strange young girl, however, changed that precedent. This is her story…